Joshua Lieben: A Royal Mixer
by Shinsoria
Summary: Oneshot; Inspired by LLFTX side story.


Be My Princess

A Royal Mixer; Joshua Lieben

* * *

"Can't you reject them?" Joshua looked at me, his face passive as he stared at me straight.

I stuttered for a moment before replying under that stone hard gaze, "I can't…"

"Do you need me to _do something _to them…?"

"Joshua, please don't tell me you are going to, oh I don't know, threaten them, or anything of the likes?"

"No, I am only thinking of waging a war with Charles." Joshua stated calmly. "That is perhaps the fastest solution to this meaningless gathering."

My mouth opened wide in shock, "Joshua, really?"

"It was a joke." Joshua's lips curled up in amusement.

I shook my head, not only has he a deadpan humor and he had even failed to see that his jokes weren't even funny.

* * *

That day, I was in the Dres Van Manor when I had received a text from my classmate. Apparently they had some mixer going on the next day and everybody in our group was required to go.

I had tried to persuade them to let me off the hook but they had insisted on my attendance.

"Just because you have a boyfriend, a mysterious one at that, doesn't mean you can abandon us now!" My close friend had contended.

I sighed miserably, agreeing to go in defeat. If I were to look at myself in my friend's shoes, I would probably be a rather horrible friend.

"Thank you!" Her text message replied with enthusiasm. "Looks like it is time for me to ogle at hot guys and perhaps snitch one at chance!"

I laughed to myself at her reply, not realizing that Prince Joshua had been standing behind me the whole time, secretly reading my messages as well.

"No." His voice, harsh and quiet, reverberated in the hallway, snapping me out of my own world rudely.

_Damn._

* * *

"Look, Joshua, I am not going there to do anything! I am just there to accompany my friend. If it will make you feel better, I promise I wouldn't even touch any single drink with alcohol content!" I argued fervently, trying to get his permission.

"The hell, Joshua, what are you doing?" I asked in a mixture of surprise and shock.

Joshua didn't answer me, his back was facing me as he polished his rifle immaculately.

"What are you doing with that…?" My voice hitched in my throat.

"Your Highness!" Jan's eyes widened in fear. He was standing at the door, watching the two of us with distress.

Joshua turned around, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "I just thought that the famed Lieben rifle requires some cleaning now and then."

"Joshua…" I faltered, "What do you think I can do then?"

"Hmm…" Joshua continued to wipe his rifle dangerously as he spoke thoughtfully, "Bring me along."

* * *

"Joshua, seriously?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

It was the day of the much despised mixer, and I was sitting on Joshua's bed, watching him as he fiddled with his outfit.

"…Is this no good?" Joshua asked, changing his red spectacles to a black one. He was obviously having fun with his disguise.

"No, I mean, are you really coming with me?"

"Why not?" Joshua answered placidly, now putting on a black cap and admiring himself in the mirror.

"So how do I look?" Joshua turned to me, his amethyst gaze piercing as he asked enthrallingly.

I nodded, a bit too vigorous I might say, "G-good."

_Joshua really doesn't know how handsome he really is… _I thought wistfully to myself, loving my boyfriend who could be so clueless yet so capable at the same time.

"In case you are wondering, I had Jan delegate my duties for the day. I had finished up the more important documents in the morning though."

"O-okay." I blushed, watching as Joshua casually put his leather jacket on. Joshua emits a rather regal aura, looking charming no matter how he would dress.

I should probably stop fawning over my own boyfriend, lest he find me to be some creepy person.

"Shall we go?" Joshua smiled at me, his hand out reached as he waited for my reply.

* * *

"Joshua, ah I mean J-Jon… Where are we going?"

Joshua was driving the two of us down from Dres Van using the expressway to Charles. However instead of stopping nearby the bar that we were supposed to go, Joshua took a detour to another street of shop houses.

"I want to take a look at a famous winery first." Joshua took off his sunglasses as he parked the car.

I could see the enthusiasm in his eyes as he spoke with passion about the wine in Charles.

"Jos… your, uh, disguise." I pointed to the fedora hat and the pair of glasses at the backseat.

"Alright."

We entered a small winery at the end of the street. The store was dimly lit and the temperature was adjusted to cooling for the storage of wine. There was a strong smell of alcohol mixed with sweetness from the different flavors of wine. Although dingy it may be, Prince Edward had actually recommended this store.

"Here," Joshua went over to a rack of fruit wines as he inspected many different bottles before choosing one out of all. He held a bottle of rose wine in his hand, probably costing an exquisite amount with the year dated on it.

Joshua paid for it promptly before heading down to the designated bar.

"Jon.. what is with the sudden buying of wine?" I asked with curiosity.

Joshua gave me a look of astonishment, as if I am asking a rather ignorant question.

"Aren't we supposed to bring gifts to a mixer? It is a basic manner, even outside of Dres Van, no?"

I stopped in my tracks, my expression dumbfounded.

_No, Joshua, you don't have to… Even so, I think a thousand dollars bottle of wine is too extravagant a gift…._

I should have known better to educate Joshua on what an university mixer is really all about.

* * *

"Hello, everybody." I greeted, with Joshua in tow. "This is my f-friend, Jon."

"Hello." Joshua smiled regally, taking a seat opposite of me.

Everybody greeted each other amicably, with my female friends gushing and fawning over Joshua and his impeccably good looks.

_Really… _I frowned to myself as I watched one of them pour drinks for Joshua.

"Thank you." Joshua thanked my friend, his smile ever so dazzling. I watched in silence as my friend's face flushed a deep shade of red.

_Doesn't that boy ever know how charming he really is…_ I stared at Joshua's obliviousness. Joshua took a sip of the drink, his face lighting up with delight at the taste of the liquid, while the girls gushed over his child-like reaction.

_At this rate… everybody in this room are going to be falling head over heels for Joshua… _I sighed loudly, trying to stop myself from acting so possessive.

Joshua, as if noticing my reaction, cleared his throat loudly. "Alright. Now then, shall we introduce ourselves?"

Joshua, looking as though he was reciting the steps of a mixer handbook, if there ever was one, began to speak.

"My name is Jon. I am actually from Dres Van."

This short simple introduction earned a lot of shrieks from the girls.

"Are you serious?" "Don't tell me that all Dres Van boys are this good looking!"

"Yea, good looking and oblivious to fault." I mumbled to myself.

"Miss Sophia, would you like to talk about yourself?" Joshua referred to me, trying to get the spotlight off himself.

"Uhh.." I stuttered, with only my male classmates paying attention to me. "I am Sophia, well like you all know. I am actually from Oriens before moving to Charles to further my education."

"Wow, Oriens." My friend, Aaron, murmured beside me. "I didn't know that, I am actually from Oriens too!"

I turned to him in surprise, sure there were many different countries' students who were enrolled in Charles University but not many came from Oriens. "Really?" Aaron nodded quickly.

"U-um, I am Aaron." Aaron gave a short laughter, "I actually came to this gathering, not because I am fond of alcohol… or anything the likes… but actually because of somebody here… I guess…"

Aaron's voice got softer and softer as he kept sneaking side glances at me. I started to blush, it was much too obvious and awkward to see that Aaron had felt something more towards me.

"Oh." Joshua intercepted curtly, "Let's move on, shall we?"

For that whole day, for some reason, Joshua became the one guiding the group conversations. Perhaps it was his natural leadership, or simply his authoritative voice, all of my classmates had obediently listened to him.

"What sort of girls do you like…?" The same girl slurred from beside Joshua, obviously having too many a drink.

Joshua had opened the bottle of rose wine he had bought just a while ago and had the whole group try it. As Joshua had loved to talk about wines, he would always smile whenever someone praise the bottle he had brought or even simply talk about wine. That is mainly the reason why most of the girls were feeling sloshed from overdrinking.

"This is really nice!" One girl had mentioned simply at first.

Joshua would then beamed, "Really?"

And then that same girl would ask for another cup merely to see Joshua's smile again. This is thus how I had ended up being the most sober woman in the group.

"Hmm, let's see." Joshua answered thoughtfully, "Someone who can make rice balls for me." Joshua stares at me, his eyes twinkling.

"Just like that..?" The girls murmured among themselves. "I can make rice balls too!" Another mumbled to herself, all of them half drunk.

I smiled quietly, knowing how much Joshua had appreciated my cooking.

"How about you, Sophia?" Aaron asked, his ocean blue eyes piercing and deep, bringing the question back to me.

"I don't know, just someone who would love and care for me." I thought for a while, "Really, to ask for love and to love is a simple thing."

"Oh.." Aaron ran his hand through his golden brown hair, before balling his fists tightly. "T-then… would you like to… go out with me…?" He had professed then and there, with all his courage.

"Hmm..? Where?" My mind was practically blank as I was too absorbed in my thoughts of being together with Joshua.

"I am actually free on Monday after school, we can go out then. Anna and I would be heading to a cat cafe, you can join us." I replied, not paying too much of an attention to his question.

"No.. I mean.. not that type of going out…" Aaron stumbled over his own words before letting out a deep sigh. "Never mind then."

"Hmm? You don't like cats?" Perhaps Joshua had found someone similar like him.

"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" Joshua tried to change the topic, obviously disliking cats to the extent of not even wanting to discuss it. However as much as his voice had held disdain for the conversation, he was grinning all the while at me.

That mixer ended rather quickly, as many of my female friends were drunk, with one of them barely being able to stand. As much as to my contempt, the girls were actually amazing at finishing that whole bottle among themselves.

Perhaps Joshua's recognition was what they had wanted. No, it is definitely Joshua's approval.

I watched quietly as the guys sent them home, with few of them shouting across the street rather unkemptly. "See you again, Jon!" "Please come and study in our school!" "I love you Jon!"

* * *

"So, what do you think?" I asked, holding Joshua's hands out in the public now that we were alone.

The two of us were swinging our joined hands leisurely, sitting on a wooden bench in the Central Park of Charles.

"It is rather interesting." Joshua chuckled to himself. "They shouldn't have drank that much if they couldn't hold their liquor."

"Do you know that they didn't drink because they like it, but for you?" I pointed out, grimacing at his innocence.

"Oh, really?" Joshua's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I didn't know."

"Of course." I giggled as he put his arm around my shoulder. "Usually they are sober and serious. Your presence had thrown them off balance, Mr Charming."

"Oh." Joshua frowned, "What should I do?"

"Be yourself!" I poked his cheek mischievously.

"By, the way you did well. Good job on rejecting that man."

"Huh…?" I questioned in surprise. Joshua sighed dramatically before explaining to me.

"He meant to go out with you, as in, you being his girlfriend. I suppose that is his intention."

"Oh." A bulb lighted in my head before I tittered amusingly. "Why is it that we are always so observant about each other, and yet so oblivious to ourselves?"

"Perhaps, it is love?" Joshua grinned adorably before turning to peck my forehead gently.

"Let's get some ice-cream before getting home then." Joshua stood up, all the while not releasing his grip on my hand.

"Okay."

"Oh and I want you to know that I love you."

"Hehe. I know."


End file.
